Robert F. Kennedy JR. JR., a major federal vaccine advisory panel that recently replaced as a minister of health and human service, is expected to vote to delay the hepatitis B vaccine, which is currently provided to newborns, to four years old.
Demetre Daskalakis said, “There is a high possibility of discussion of hepatitis B vaccines, and specifically, we will try to remove the birth capacity of hepatitis B vaccines and try to push it out later.” Former manager National Vaccination and Respiratory Disease Center. “This is clearly the priority of the secretary.”
The vote is expected to be held at the next meeting of the CDC’s vaccination advisory committee scheduled from September 18 to 19.
For more than 30 years, the first shot of the first scenes of the hepatitis B vaccine was recommended for infants immediately after birth. At that time, potentially deadly disease was virtually eradicated among American children. Pediatrics will open the door to more children who shrink the virus if they wait for four years.
Eric Ball, a pediatrician, said, “4 years old is zero.” “We recommend a universal approach to prevent the wrong prosecutor or unconsciously unconsciously contracting hepatitis. It is the best way to maintain the full population healthy.”
In addition to hepatitis B vaccine, panel It will also be discussed Vote for the recommended measles, pandemic deeritis, rubella and chickenpox vaccines and covid-19 vaccines. Pediatricians are vulnerable to vaccine prevention of diseases by limiting access to many families with a change in the schedule of this vaccine.
In general, ACIP performs data analysis before changing the vaccine guidelines. As of the end of August, this process did not begin for hepatitis B vaccines, Daskalakis and other former officials.
Daskalakis said, “This is an atypical situation. There was no work group to discuss it.
The second former senior official spoke with NPR and KFF Health News about anonymity.
HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon wrote in response to the questions of KFF Health News: “ACIP exists for the best evidence and public scientific deliberations.
The draft agenda of the upcoming ACIP meeting was open to the public in less than a week to start.
At the last ACIP meeting, Martin KullDorff, the chairman and one of the seven new members in June, cited only two of the various ways for the virus to question the necessity of all newborn vaccination. KullDorff is a former Harvard College of Medicine. I oppose some public health measures During the infectious disease.
“If your mother is not positive in hepatitis B, there may be a debate to delay the vaccine for this infection, which is mainly spread by the use of sexual acts and intravenous drugs,” he said.
The virus is directly exposed to infected body fluids such as blood or semen. The disease does not have a treatment and can later lead to serious conditions such as cirrhosis and liver cancer. The CDC advisory panel can maintain a recommendation for mothers suffering from hepatitis B or inoculating newborns with high risk of disease, former officials said.
Protected from birth
In 1991, federal health officials would recommend that newborns receive the first dose of hepatitis B vaccine. Born 24 hoursIf it is transmitted during delivery, the virus is maintained. Parents can refuse to launch, but many daycare centers and school districts Evidence is needed Hepatitis B vaccination for registration.
ACIP’s recommendation forecasts were deeply nervous about some people with viruses.
Wendy Lo, who lived with liver disease, said, “I was frustrated.” It affected almost all aspects of life for years of exploring the psychological, monetary, medical and social aspects of chronic hepatitis B.
“I won’t want to experience it if someone can prevent it,” she said. LO learned that he had a disease due to everyday screening tests to study in college.
LO recognizes the vaccine by protecting the nearest family members from infection.
“I shared with my partner. ‘If you are vaccinated, we can be together,” she said. He received a vaccine, which protects him from the infection, “Thank you.”
CDC estimates half of patients with hepatitis B I don’t know They were infected. Often from acute and light infections to chronic infections There are few symptoms. Most people with chronic hepatitis B were born outside the United States and the Asian and Pacific Islands After that Blacks have the highest percentage of newly reported chronic infections.
When her children were born, LO was firmly receiving a newborn dose.
Early infection occurs. The results get worseAccording to CDC. If it is contracted in infancy or infancy, hepatitis B is much more likely to be chronic infections, which quietly damages the liver over decades.
Those who are chronic carriers can unconsciously spread the virus to others and increase the risk of long -term complications, including cirrhosis and liver cancer, which may not be clear until later in life.
“Now in the 50’s, one of my big interests is liver cancer. The vaccine is safe and effective, saves life and protects you from cancer. How many vaccines do you do?” LO said.
Universal vaccination of 30 years
Treatment like the antivirus Lo was no longer available until the 1990s. For decades, liver damage has occurred without the replication of the virus. Every six months she is afraid that blood tests can be released.
After the vaccine was approved in the 1980s, public health authorities first focused their vaccination efforts to those with the highest risk of infection.
“I was trained at a medical school to think of hepatitis B as an adult, and PIMPS, prostitutes, prisoners and health care practitioners who suffered hepatitis B infections learned more. William SharpnerVanderbilt University School of Medicine, a professor of infectious diseases and a member of the former ACIP.
In the 1980s, as the ratio of hepatitis B increased stubbornly, scientists realized that the entire group of vulnerable groups was missing from the vaccination system. Virus Often transmitted After pregnancy or from the mother who was infected with a baby.
“We soon say, ‘Let’s do blood tests on all pregnant women.’ We’ve worked perfectly, ”SCHAFFNER said.
He said that some doctors did not go through the test, and some pregnant women obtained hepatitis B after pregnancy, while some pregnant women had undergone negative tests.
In 1991, Schafffner was a contact manager of ACIP when voting. Advise universal vaccinations Hepatitis B before the infant leaves the hospital.
“We want not to infect the baby. Therefore, we will be vaccinated by the mother and all the babies at the birth. The problem has been solved. It was a great success in eliminating the hepatitis B of children.”
According to CDC, in 1990, there were 3.03 hepatitis B hepatitis in 19 years of age or in the United States.
After the federal recommendation to vaccinate all infants, cases have been greatly reduced. CDC data In 2022, the proportion of ages 19 is less than 0.1 per 100,000.
Hepatitis B is often associated with high -risk behaviors such as use of injection drugs or multiple sex partners. Health professional You can spread the virus in ordinary situations, including young children.
Viruses can survive Up to 7 days Outside the body. Even the fine traces of the infected blood during that period School desk or playground equipment It can cause danger. Inc Catas can cause infections to come into contact with open wounds or mucous membranes of the eye. This means that children who are not vaccinated, which are not considered high, can still be exposed in everyday environments.
Future access uncertainty
If the CDC changes the recommendation significantly, the health insurance company no longer needs to cover the shot. As a result, parents can pay for a long free vaccine. Children who are vaccinated through the Federation Children’s vaccine The program will be approved by the acting CDC director’s new ACIP recommendation, which will lose free access to the shot.
A former CDC official said that when he left the institution as of August, he plans to withdraw his official recommendation for the vaccine.
Schaffner is still an alternative to ACIP and hopes to express its support for universal newborn vaccination at the next meeting.
“The contact person is now excluded from the vaccine work group. They can still attend the full meeting.”
Schafffner is worried about the next -generation baby and the doctor who cares for them.
“We will see the case of hepatitis B once again. We will see the transmission to the next generation,” he said. “And next -generation people wearing white coats will have to deal with hepatitis B when they can be cut off from the pass.”
We want to talk to the components that believe that the current and all employees of the Ministry of Health and Welfare should understand the effects of what happens in federal health bureaucracy. (415) 519-8778 or Contact here.
KFF Health News is a nationwide newsroom that produces in -depth journalism about health problems and is one of KFF’s core operating programs. Learn more KFF.
Use our content
This story can be posted for free (details).
